Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! Preparing Your Heart to Teach Session 7 The conscience has some enemies. Those enemies are things like a desire to do the wrong thing, overactive emotions that override convictions, and erroneous beliefs such as I have the right to get revenge, or my job in life is to have fun. In this lesson children will learn more about temptation as an enemy of the conscience. The goal is to help children see specific ways in which they might be tempted to do the wrong thing and then recognize that they can choose to do what s right. All heroes have to face temptations. Some of those temptations come from outside, but in order for it to truly be a temptation then it must connect with something on the inside. Helping children become more aware of things that tempt them can arm them to be better prepared in those situations. The Bible has a lot to say about temptation. Remember that your goal is to help children learn this lesson in their hearts. In addition to the scriptures taught you might want to also look at 1 Peter 5:8 and Ephesians 6:10-18, both of which have application to temptation and use metaphors of a lion and armor that children understand. In the Bible story, reference is made to Genesis 4:7, the story of Cain being confronted by God. This is an excellent story for children and it may be worth your time and energy to develop it even more. It s one of those positive, practical applications that children can relate to. As you continue to study the life of David and point out the characteristics of a hero, help children see that they have what it takes to be a hero and that they face many of the same challenges that heroes face. It comes down to choices and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit and the prompting of the conscience. Supplies Needed for This Lesson Cup Tower Supplies needed: 20-50 disposable cups per group of 3-4 children Which Egg is Ready? Supplies needed: Two eggs, one raw and the other hard-boiled Responding to Temptations Supplies needed: The two Situation Cards on page 156, four copies of each Avoiding Temptation Game Supplies needed: About 20 rolled-up pairs of socks and a snow saucer or large pillow A Hero Reminder Supplies needed: Scissors, tape, one piece of aluminum foil for each child approximately one foot square, cut into 4 strips, the Bible verse on page 157 photocopied, and 4 pennies for each child, tissue paper (optional) Can You Discover the Trick? Supplies needed: A broom Session 7 Don t Get Distracted Supplies needed: Photocopy onto card stock for each child the Don t Get Distracted on pages 158 and 159, make the two pages front and back on the same piece of card stock, colored pens, and a stopwatch (For Preschoolers) Resist Temptations Supplies needed: Photocopy the Hero Color Sheet on page 160, crayons or colored pens Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting 145
Session 7 l Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! Cookies with a Special Treat Inside Supplies needed: Make cookies according to the recipe in this lesson. Have them ready to serve the children. Hero Field Guide Supplies needed: The Hero Field Guides from the previous lesson and the verse from page 162, photocopied and cut for each child, glue, and crayons or markers Can You Read This? Supplies needed: Photocopy the Eye Chart on page 161, at least one pair of binoculars, more if you have them Other suggested items: Photocopy the Parent Letter for each student. Be prepared to play the Conscience Song if you have the Hero Training Camp Music CD. Have a camera ready to take pictures. Theme Heroes are strong enough to resist temptation. Power Words I need to resist temptation in order to protect my conscience. Theological Truth I must do what s right even when it seems that the wrong thing might be justified. Welcome Activity Cup Tower Supplies needed: 20-50 disposable cups per group of 3-4 children Instructions: Have children work in groups of 3 or 4 to build a tower of cups. The goal is to see how high they can make the tower with the fewest cups. They can only have four cups touching the floor or table. Take a picture of children next to their tower of cups, or be ready to take a picture just as the cup tower is falling down. Discussion points: The key to building a tower is similar to the keys for developing one s life. It has to do with a good foundation. It s important to build one s foundation on God and a personal relationship with him. God desires to live and work in our hearts. He helps us to grow to be people of integrity. One of the ways he does that is through the conscience. God uses our consciences to remind us to stay on track with him. Building integrity happens in four areas, just like the four cups at the bottom of the tower. Take some time to remind children about the four parts of the conscience as you get ready for this lesson. They are to do what s right, deal with wrongs, be honest, and care about others. Being a hero starts in the heart. In this lesson we ll discuss a common problem that ruins a person s internal tower. It s temptation. We are all tempted in life, but the hero knows how to resist temptation and is ready for it. Together Time Gather together and remind children of the Hero Training Creed. Take a few moments to help children calm down and prepare their hearts with a prayer, asking God to settle the hearts and provide 146 Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting
Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! l Session 7 opportunity to focus on today s training. Review the Hero Exercise that the children were assigned in the previous lesson. In our last lesson we talked about being honest under pressure. Can you tell us a time when you were able to do that in the last few days? Hero Training Creed: I will listen with my eyes, keep my mouth under control, do what the teacher says, knowing that becoming a hero for God is my goal. Introduction Which Egg is Ready? Supplies needed: Two eggs, one raw and the other hard-boiled Instructions: Show the eggs to the children and tell them the following: I have two eggs. One is raw and the other is hard-boiled. Which one is which? They look the same. Can you tell the difference? You may even let children carefully examine the eggs to see if they can figure out which one is hard-boiled. On the outside they look the same but on the inside one is ready for the table and the other is quite a mess. Here s an easy way to tell when an egg is hard-boiled and when it is raw without opening it up. Spin the egg upright. If it is hardboiled it will spin around and around. If it is raw, it will just wobble a bit. Take a picture of a child spinning the egg. How it works: The liquid in the raw egg prevents the egg from spinning because the weight inside keeps shifting. The hard-boiled egg is solid on the inside making it easier to comply with the centrifugal force created by spinning. Discussion points: Heroes are strong on the inside, not mushy. In fact, when temptations come their way, heroes are able to face them instead of giving in to them. A hero is someone who is not just strong on the outside but is strong on the inside as well. All heroes are tempted to do the wrong thing. The test is how they respond. Of course the real test of the egg is when you crack it open. When temptations come to a hero, they test what s really on the inside. Temptations always come but the Bible tells us that God never allows us to be tempted more than we can handle it. Today we re going to see how our hero David was tempted to do the wrong thing. Will he be able to handle the temptation? Bible Story The Hero s Temptation This Bible story is taken from 1 Samuel 25. Use the Bible and the following thoughts to teach the story and the lesson to the children. You may have to change the wording or explanations to match the developmental level of the children you re working with. We ve been studying the life of David because he was a hero. And, in fact, we see through his life that we too can be heroes. I want to tell you a story today about a time when David was tempted to do the wrong thing. It all started when David and his men, who were still running from King Saul, lived in the Desert of Maon. There wasn t much food in the desert and they often had to rely on other people in order to have enough food and water. David and his men looked out for the local shepherds and used their skills of fighting and protecting others to help the people of the valley. As soldiers they could keep guard and protect the shepherds from wild animals and from bandits so that the shepherds wouldn t be afraid. One of these groups of shepherds worked for Nabal. He was a greedy man, selfish, and thought mainly about himself and getting rich. In fact, his Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting 147
Session 7 l Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! name Nabal means fool. He truly was a foolish man because he only thought about himself. Nabal had a lot of sheep and he hired shepherds to take care of them. When the weather warmed up they would cut the wool off and sell it so that people could make clothes. In fact, at sheep shearing time Nabal and all of the shepherds were so happy they had a party because they were going to make so much money. They had more sheep than usual because David s men had protected them from bandits and wild animals. It was during the sheep shearing time that David and his men weren t able to find enough food, so David sent some men to Nabal to ask him for just a little bit of food. After all, David and his men had helped Nabal but he had never paid them or even thanked them for their work. So David s men came to Nabal to ask for some food. Nabal was greedy and selfish. He not only said no to the messengers but he made fun of them and insulted them for even coming to ask. The men went away sad and reported the news to David. David was angry. This wasn t fair. Nabal was being ungrateful, selfish, and mean. Here s where David was tempted to do the wrong thing. In fact, he told his men to get their swords because they were going to go and kill Nabal and his men. Even though it was the wrong thing to do, David was angry and so he was tempted to get revenge. That same situation happens in our lives sometimes. Let s say that you don t get what you want and your brother is being selfish. You might feel angry and want to just take something away or get back at him somehow. When a person gets angry they can be tempted to be mean. It s a pretty common temptation. Even heroes get tempted sometimes to do the wrong thing. They may be tempted to be mean, or to lie, or to just do something wrong for one reason or another. Let s read on in the story and find out what happens to our hero, David. Nabal had a wife whose name was Abigail. She was a very wise woman, and when messengers came to her and told her how Nabal had insulted David s men she quickly went into action. The Bible tells us that she lost no time in gathering food for David and she met him on the way. She rode into a ravine where she knew that David would come. When she saw him and his men she got off her donkey and bowed down before David. David and his men stopped when they saw Abigail. She talked to David and said, David, God has fought for you all these years. Surely he has something special planned for you. Don t do this wrong thing. If you do, you will have it on your conscience. It s not worth it. Take this food I ve prepared for you and go back. Don t do this wrong thing and get revenge. As David listened to Abigail he knew that she was right. Up to this point he had a clear conscience. He didn t need to cheat to get what he wanted. Getting revenge is being mean and if he did that he knew that he would feel guilty. Abigail was right. As David thought about it he realized that the right thing to do was accept the food from Abigail, turn back, and let God deal with Nabal. Revenge would be the wrong thing to do. Wow. David did the right thing even when he was tempted to do wrong. It reminds me of another 148 Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting
Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! l Session 7 Bible story. The story of Cain in the Old Testament. Cain brought the wrong sacrifice to God and so God didn t accept the sacrifice. The Bible tells us that Cain was downcast. That means that he was pouting. Show me what downcast looks like. In the same way that Abigail confronted David, God confronted Cain. In Genesis 4:6-7 the Bible says these words, Then the LORD said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. Temptation tries to get at all of us. David was a hero and he fought the temptation and did what was right. That s a battle that goes on inside the heart first. Once we win the battle inside then we can work on the outside to do what s right. Sometimes we can feel tempted to do the wrong thing and then we tell ourselves it s okay. In David s case, he was mistreated. He was tempted to kill all of the men because they were being mean to him. Just because others are mean and do the wrong thing doesn t mean that we have the right to hurt them. We may be tempted to do that but heroes recognize the temptation and are careful to do what s right even when tempted. Let me tell you an interesting part of the story about David. The Bible tells us that the next day Abigail told her husband Nabal all about David coming to kill him and how she gave him and his men food. Nabal was so surprised and probably afraid that he had a heart attack and within a few days died. That s an interesting end to the story. But even if Nabal hadn t died, David was still the hero because he had a clear conscience. He didn t give in to the temptation. He chose to do the right thing. Take away: I must do what s right even when it seems that the wrong thing might be justified. For preschoolers: This story must be simplified for preschoolers. Leave out much of the detail and emphasize the idea of temptations to do the wrong thing. Imagine some temptations that young children might face, meanness and disobedience for example. Use those as examples of opportunities to do the right thing. Bible Verse 1 Corinthians 10:13 God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Role Play Responding to Temptations Supplies needed: The two Situation Cards on page 156, four copies of each Instructions: David was tempted to do the wrong thing. He may have justified it in his heart by saying that Nabal was wrong so getting back at him is what he deserved. I need some help acting out some other stories. I d like you to work in groups of 3-4 and prepare to act out a situation for us. For a large group of children, you may have actors and an audience that participates in the discussion. For a smaller group of children, you may have the same kids act out the different stories. Be sure to take pictures of the children having fun doing drama. Choose three or more children to act out each role play. Person #2 is the one being tempted. You can have one or more children act as Person #3, helping Person #2 do what s right. Give Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting 149
Session 7 l Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! children the situation cards and let them huddle for a few minutes to prepare to act out what not to do and then what they should do instead. You may want to help them as they plan. Discussion points: What are we trying to learn from this lesson? Temptation to do what s wrong is all around us and even inside us. Heroes see temptation and look for ways to do what s right instead. Sometimes heroes also help other people do what s right just like in our story of Abigail helping David do the right thing. Being a hero often requires that we fight an internal battle before we can fight the external one. For preschoolers: Drama is a great way to engage the heart of a preschooler. Instead of having the child plan the drama, you ll likely want to dialogue through the situation and allow children to act it out as you go. Conscience Insight Guilt is a healthy emotion that points toward repentance. The conscience produces guilt when one has done something wrong. God has provided a way back through confession, restitution, and reconciliation. Shame is not helpful because it focuses on inadequacy, unworthiness, and permanent failure. Shame hinders people from moving forward and removes their confidence to do what s right. Temptation provides a challenge to the conscience. As children learn to respond well to temptation they grow stronger. Even their mistakes produce growth if they know how to handle them well. Game Avoiding Temptation Game Supplies needed: About 20 rolled-up pairs of socks and a snow saucer or large pillow Instructions: Have children line up on one side of the room armed with rolled pairs of socks ready to throw. Set up the other side of the room so that each corner contains a safe place, like a chair or some other barrier. Choose one child to run from one safe place to the other, trying to avoid the bombardment of socks (temptations) being thrown at him while he s out in the open. Take turns allowing several children to make the temptation run. This activity makes for some fun pictures. Next, have one child use the snow saucer or pillow as a shield and leisurely walk from one side to the other. Discussion points: Temptations come our way every day. What are some temptations that kids your age might face? Lying, cheating, getting revenge, obeying slowly, not completing a job, having a bad attitude, or being mean are all temptations that may come at you. A hero pays attention to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit and the conscience and when he or she knows what needs to be done, does it instead of giving in to the temptation. A hero can deflect temptation as if he has a shield. 150 Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting
Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! l Session 7 The Bible verse for today says that God provides a way out of temptation. But notice the rest of the verse. It says so that you can stand up under it. Sometimes people think that they will escape by getting out of the situation, but many times you can t get out of the situation, you have to learn to be strong in it. Like having an annoying brother for example. You may wish you could get away, but God may want you to learn how to develop the inner strength to face the temptation of your brother every day. Craft A Hero Reminder Supplies needed: Scissors, tape, one piece of aluminum foil for each child approximately one foot square, cut into 4 strips, the Bible verse on page 157 photocopied, and 4 pennies for each child, tissue paper (optional) Instructions: Give children the aluminum foil strips with the following instructions. Scrunch up two of the strips to make two sticklike pieces; lay them on the table to form an X. Twist the middle of the X to form a body. The top points of the X become the arms and the bottom two points become the legs. Use the third piece of foil to ball up and form the head. Use the last strip of foil to go from the back of the hero over his head and down his front to fasten the head to the body. Bend the feet out and tape two pennies to each foot, providing stability for the hero to stand. Attach the Bible verse between the two hands and secure with tape. Use tissue paper to form a cape if desired (optional). Be sure to take pictures of the children making this craft as well as posing with their little heroes. Discussion points: Abigail reminded David of the importance of his mission in life. David was thinking more about the short-term benefits of getting revenge than the long-term benefits of avoiding temptation. You ll be able to use this hero as a reminder to avoid temptation. Every time you see it you can pray and ask God to help you resist the temptations you face. After all, God wants you to be a hero and he knows that you need reminders. For preschoolers: Preschoolers love to take the craft home. However, it s pretty complicated for a young child to make without help. It doesn t take a long time to put each hero together, and children then like to move the arms and legs around to make it balance. Of course, preschoolers can t read the Bible verse but the message on it is a good reminder and parents may use the verse at home to further explain the concept of temptation to the children. Hero Skill Building Activity Can You Discover the Trick? Supplies needed: A broom Instructions: Tell the children that you want to do a trick for them and see if they can figure it out. Your job is to try to do what I do. Can you figure out the secret? Then take a broom, turn it upside down, clear your throat, and tap the broom on the floor to a rhythm as you say the words, I need to resist temptation in order to protect my conscience. Then ask, Who would like to try it? If no one volunteers, demonstrate it again. Be sure to clear your throat before you speak because that s the secret. It s not the broom or saying the words in a particular way. It s the clearing of the throat that you re trying to get kids to do. Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting 151
Session 7 l Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! When a child volunteers to try it, watch and see if he clears his throat first. If he does, then tell him Yes, that s right. Who else would like to try? If he doesn t then say, No, that s not it, who else would like to try? Continue the game until everyone gets it. You may have to exaggerate the clearing of the throat if needed. Discussion points: Heroes have the ability to see things that others don t see. When it comes to temptation they are on the lookout for it. You might see your friends start to talk in a mean way about someone else. You can see where that s leading and help them change course. When you have an assignment due and you feel like getting on the computer instead of working on your assignment, you can see it early and choose what s right. The conscience is a tool created by God that s already in your heart. It helps you by prompting you to do what s right. If you work on developing your conscience then you will often have warning of temptations before they take place. Also, the Holy Spirit lives inside of those who trust Christ. He also warns you of danger. Game Don t Get Distracted Supplies needed: Photocopy onto card stock for each child the Don t Get Distracted pages on pages 158 and 159, make the two pages front and back on the same piece of card stock, colored pens, and a stopwatch Instructions: Have children choose at least six different colors of pens. Write the name of a different color than the ink used, filling up the boxes. You may need to help the children with spelling. Colors will be used more than once. For example if you use the blue pen, write red, yellow, or green. Then using the same colored pens turn the page over and color in the rectangles, each rectangle being a solid color. Colors will be used more than once. How to play: Have one child hold the stopwatch while another child races against the clock. First see how long it takes the child to name all the rectangles that have solid colors in them. Next, turn the page over and time how long it takes for the child to say the color, not the word, in the sixteen boxes. Discussion points: It takes more work to focus and concentrate on the boxes that contain written words and colors. It s tempting to read the word instead of say the color. For preschoolers: This activity isn t for preschoolers and should be dropped out when working with young children. 152 Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting
Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! l Session 7 The same thing is true in life. Temptations are around us every day. Heroes have the ability to focus on what s right without getting easily distracted. For preschoolers: This activity requires the ability to read and therefore isn t appropriate for preschoolers. Use the following activity instead. Hero Color Sheet (For preschoolers) Resist Temptations Supplies needed: Photocopy the Hero Color Sheet on page 160, crayons or colored pens Instructions: Children can color the page while you talk about the lesson. Have them repeat the theme with you. Talk about temptations young children face and discuss what it means to resist temptation. Focusing on the conscience is an excellent way to reach children on a deeper level. It helps children get in touch with inner promptings that God has placed inside the heart. But don t forget to talk about the Holy Spirit in a child s life. God is at work inside your child and you want to acknowledge that fact and refer to it often. In fact, your spiritual transparency is a helpful instrument for conscience development. Pray with your children, share spiritual insight, and ask your children questions about spirituality. By doing this, you re helping your children become more aware of their own hearts. Snack Cookies with a Special Treat Inside Supplies needed: Make cookies according to the following recipe. Have them ready to serve the children. Play the Conscience Song while the children are eating (optional). 2 1 /4 cups flour 3 /4 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup sugar 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup butter, softened 2 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 48 Rolo chewy caramels (unwrapped) 1 tbsp sugar Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda. In a large bowl, add 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, and butter, and mix together well. Add vanilla and eggs; mix thoroughly. Add flour mixture; blend well. With floured hands, wrap about 1 tablespoonful of dough around 1 caramel candy. In a small bowl put the remaining sugar. Press one side of each cookie ball into the sugar. Put the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely on wire rack. This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies. Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting 153
Session 7 l Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! Discussion points: One of the things that makes a hero is that he is different on the inside. In the same way that these cookies have a great inside, a hero knows how to deal with the temptations that come every day. The temptations to be mean, to steal, to disobey, or to be unkind are out there all the time. Heroes know how to resist temptation because of something special on the inside. The hero has a plan for dealing with temptation. It s not worth doing the wrong thing because it damages your heart. Use the snack time as an opportunity to review the lesson. You might ask the question, What is the lesson we re trying to learn today? Hero Field Guide Supplies needed: The Hero Field Guides from the previous lesson and the verse from page 162, photocopied and cut for each child, glue, and crayons or markers FIELD GUIDE Instructions: Give children their Hero Field Guides and talk about the Bible verse as you add it to the next page of the guide. You might use some of these ideas to help guide the conversation. Discussion points: God is in control and never allows us to be tempted above what we can handle. That s an encouraging point for any hero. However, if a person is bent on doing wrong then he or she will easily fall into temptation when it comes. This is a great verse to memorize because it reminds us that we always have a way to escape. It s interesting though, the last part of the verse tells us that sometimes we just need to stay in the situation and continue to do what s right. HERO Exercise As you practice at home look for times when temptation is present. You may not be tempted but others might be. Come back and tell us specific times when you saw a tempting situation and tell us how you handled it. For example, you might be in a situation where your mom asks you to do something. You re tempted to ignore her but you get up and do it instead. Or maybe someone hurts you and you re tempted to hurt them back. How did you handle that situation? You are a hero in training so you will experience challenges. Be sure to pay attention to your conscience and listen to the Holy Spirit in your life. Conclusion Can You Read This? Supplies needed: Photocopy the Eye Chart on page 161, at least one pair of binoculars, more if you have them Instructions: Mount the photocopied page 20 feet away and ask children to read it. They may be able to read the first line or two but then the print becomes too small to read. Ask for a volunteer who has good eyes to come and read the chart. How far down can you read it? 154 Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting
Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! l Session 7 Now pull out the binoculars and ask for a volunteer to try to read the chart. The binoculars typically need to be adjusted. Show the children how to focus them, usually by adjusting the focusing dial in the center and spreading them so that both eyes can see. Have the child read the whole message from top to bottom. Take pictures of children with binoculars. Discussion points: What we re trying to learn in this lesson is how heroes can see temptation in advance. They don t wait until it s right in their faces. They are quick to avoid temptation and help others do the same. You have an assignment to grow in your hero qualities. Your job is to see temptation and resist it and also look for ways to help others to resist it as well. Prayer God, I know that you love each one of these children and that you want them to be heroes in life right now. I want to ask that you would give them special glasses to see problems developing in life and that you would give them the courage to do the right thing even when they don t feel like it. Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit that not only tells us what is right but helps us to do the right thing as well. Amen. For preschoolers: Although preschoolers can t read, they can catch the illustration of seeing temptation coming and taking action. And, preschoolers love to figure out how binoculars work. You might create a small happy face and sad face on a paper on the wall for them to look at through the binoculars and then talk about seeing temptation before it gets to you. Be on the lookout for it. SEEING IT THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD Susan loved the binoculars and went home to see if they owned any. Dad got out his binoculars and allowed Susan to look through them. What kinds of things are you looking for? I m looking for things that need to be done around here. Oh yeah? said Dad with a surprised look on his face. What do you see? I see newspapers on the table that need to be put away. I see the tissue box turned on its side, responded Susan. Wow, that s great. I ll be eager to see how you fix those things that you see. Copyright 2009 National Center for Biblical Parenting 155
Session 7 l Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! Role Play Responding to Temptations Situation #1 Knowing How to Respond to Meanness Person #1: The Mean Teaser You tease the other child by saying things like, You can t play with us. You re too small. We re going to have fun without you. Person #2: The Victim You re disappointed first of all, then angry. You re tempted to get back at the mean person. You re planning your strategy for revenge. Person #3 and others: The Peacemakers You come in and give advice to the victim on how to handle the situation without getting revenge. What should the victim do with the anger? How should the victim deal with the Mean Teaser? Situation #2 Tired, But Doing What s Right Anyway Person #1: The Parent It s clean-up day around the house. You re trying to get the kids to do some chores. Be sure to explain the value of chores and why we all need to work together around the house and the benefits for getting things done. Person #2: The Tired Child You don t feel like working. The parent leaves you alone to do a job. You look for ways to cut corners, and do the job part way so that you can go and rest and play a video game. Person #3 and others: The Helpers You don t particularly like working either but you know that Mom has a lot to do, things need to get cleaned up, and if everyone works together then we ll be able to get it all done quickly. Your job is to convince the tired child to do the right thing. 156 Photocopied by permission from the National Center for Biblical Parenting
Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! l Session 7 Craft A Hero Reminder God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Photocopied by permission from the National Center for Biblical Parenting 157
Session 7 l Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! Don t Get Distracted Part 1 Instructions: Have children choose at least six different colors of pens. Write the name of a different color than the ink used, filling up the boxes. 158 Photocopied by permission from the National Center for Biblical Parenting
Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! l Session 7 Don t Get Distracted Part 2 Instructions: Color in the rectangles, each rectangle being a solid color. Colors will be used more than once. Photocopied by permission from the National Center for Biblical Parenting 159
heroes are strong enough to resist temptation. Photocopied by permission from the National Center for Biblical Parenting
Bring on the Enemy! I m Ready! l Session 7 Can You Read This? The conscience is important. Heroes can see temptation coming. They take action to resist temptation. God gives strength to resist temptation. Heroes help others resist temptation. I can be a hero. Photocopied by permission from the National Center for Biblical Parenting 161
God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 162 Photocopied by permission from the National Center for Biblical Parenting
76 Hopatcong Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-4136 (800) 771-8334 or (609) 771-8002 Email: parent@biblicalparenting.org Web: biblicalparenting.org Heroes Have a Plan to Fight Temptation Dear Parent, The conscience and the Holy Spirit work together to provide inner promptings to a child. As you work with your children to help them do what s right, look for ways to encourage them to pay attention to those inner promptings. One of the enemies of the conscience is temptation. After all, it s temptation that draws us away from doing the right thing. Children are all different. One child may face a temptation to lie or be dishonest that doesn t even bother another child. Kids face temptations to ignore instructions, hide an offense, be mean to someone else, or choose entertainment over responsibility. As a parent, be careful to focus on what the child should do, not just what the child should avoid. For example, you may be working on telling the truth under pressure instead of just stop lying. Or maybe you re working on showing kindness instead of simply removing meanness. When parents continually emphasize the negative they miss opportunities to teach the positive. Each temptation provides an opportunity to do something right. In each situation, talk about what is the right thing to do. What heart quality are you trying to help your child develop? Focus on that positive quality and it will add a positive dimension to your parent/child interaction. Look for ways this week to talk about temptation. The Bible verse for today is 1 Corinthians 10:13, God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Use this verse to help kids recognize temptation coming at them and have a plan for dealing with it. Not only do heroes resist temptation for themselves but they also help others resist it as well. The Power Words for kids in this lesson are, I need to resist temptation in order to protect my conscience. The Hero Exercise for this lesson is to be on the lookout for temptation. Teach children to pay attention to the promptings of the conscience and rely on the Holy Spirit to help them do the right thing. Look for opportunities to partner with your child to help others overcome temptations. Blessings, Scott Turansky Joanne Miller